Category: Highlighters

MAC Nutcracker Sweet Peach Face Compact ($35.00 for 0.32 oz.) includes a powder highlighter and blush. The Extra Dimension Skinfinishes are supposed to have 10-hour wear, while the Extra Dimension Blush formula is supposed to have six-hour wear.

MAC Nutcracker Sweet Copper Face Compact ($35.00 for 0.32 oz.) includes a powder highlighter and blush. Both shades are repromotes, though Whisper of Gilt is one of those shades that many wanted to make a return. The Extra Dimension Skinfinishes are supposed to have 10-hour wear, while the Extra Dimension Blush formula is supposed to have six-hour wear.

NARS Recurring Dare Cheek & Lip Palette ($59.00 for 0.56 oz.) includes four cheek colors plus lip pencil. This palette is exclusive to Nordstrom and will be available November 1st. The palette includes three permanent shades–Albatross, Sex Appeal, and Golshan–and two new shades–Illusive and Make Believe. As was the case with True Story, the palette skewed lighter and will work better for fairer skin tones. I wish this was deeper overall (so that the offerings had something lighter and something deeper to cater to more skin tones). I also felt like the two center shades were a little closer, just warmer, than the two center shades in True Story as well. NARS’ Powder Blush formula is described as “beautifully pigmented, natural, healthy-looking color” with a “blendable application.” The palette was decent; Albatross actually seemed more powdery and weaker than the permanent version, while the other four products were better.

NARS True Story Cheek & Lip Palette ($59.00 for 0.56 oz.) includes four cheek colors plus lip pencil. There are three permanentshades–Devotee, Outlaw, and Mysterious Red–and two new shades–Myth and Unwritten. This palette is going to work best for someone of a fairer complexion, as two of the cheek colors are rather light and matte, so they harder to distinguish on my skin tone. NARS’ Powder Blush formula is described as “beautifully pigmented, natural, healthy-looking color” with a “blendable application.” The palette had good pigmentation, average to normal wear, and were blendable. I didn’t have any issues applying the blushes or the lip color, so if they are the kind of colors that appeal and would work for your skin tone, it might be a palette to check out this holiday season.

Myth is a pale, light pink with neutral-to-warm undertones and a matte finish. If I pack it on, I can just barely see a tint of pink on my cheeks, but this will show up better on someone with a lighter skin tone, and it will be hard to overdo on even very fair skin. The texture was soft, silky, and just a touch dusty in the pan, but it didn’t look dry or chalky on the skin. It lasted for just over seven hours on me. Dior Intemporalle (LE, $65.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). Kat Von D Poe (Light) (P) is darker (90% similar). NARS Conquest (LE, $30.00) is lighter (85% similar). MAC Launch Away (LE, $22.00) is more shimmery, darker (85% similar). KIKO 109 Candy Rose (P, $12.00) is darker (85% similar). Guerlain Morning Rose (P, $52.00) is darker (85% similar). Burberry Misty (P, $42.00) is darker (80% similar). Makeup Geek Main Squeeze (P, $10.00) is more shimmery, darker, cooler (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Anastasia Ultimate Glow Glow Kit ($45.00 for 0.96 oz.) includes six highlighters in a gold-hued theme. This palette is going to be best suited for someone who likes more over-the-top highlighters that run glittery, sparkling, and/or metallic and doesn’t mind if the texture of their skin is emphasized by their highlighter. The formula on some of the highlighters is rather dense, so airier, fluffier brushes did not work well with it–I felt like a denser or even a flat, synthetic brush worked better to get both color and shimmer out of the product. The more feathery brushes I tried tended to grab more of the sparkle and frost content than color, which resulted in a more uneven application.

Golden Dawn is a medium gold with warmer undertones and a sparkly, metallic finish. The texture was denser, somewhat creamy, but it had a more noticeable sparkle to it, which gave it a drier feel. I felt like some of the shimmer loosened away from the base color, and this was a shade that I found a dense blush brush was what worked best for applying. When I used a tapered highlighting brush, I got a few stray sparkles but little color payoff. The color wore well for eight hours, but there was some emphasis of pores due to the chunkier frost/sparkle in it. Becca Champagne Gold (LE, $38.00) is less shimmery, lighter (95% similar). Chanel Routes des Indes de Chanel Illuminating Powder (LE, $65.00) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar). Becca Prosecco Pop (LE, $38.00) is lighter (90% similar). Anastasia Sunray (LE) is less shimmery, darker (90% similar). Bobbi Brown Gold (LE, $46.00) is lighter (90% similar). Bobbi Brown Party (LE, $46.00) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar). L'Oreal Golden (P, $12.99) is less shimmery, darker, warmer (90% similar). Anastasia White Sand (LE) is lighter (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Amber Gold is a muted, medium-dark rosy copper with a lot of warm rose and yellow gold sparkle and shimmer. The texture of the powder was very dense, and it really required firm pressure and a dense brush to get payoff out of it; the problem was less that it was firm so much as it was just like a very dense cream. It’s the type of texture that seems to work well for intensely pigmented eyeshadows, but it is too dense to get that same level of coverage when using with traditional cheek and face brushes. As I blended this shade out, the color pulled apart more and looked a little patchy. This shade wore well for seven and a half hours. Bobbi Brown Afternoon Glow (LE, $46.00) is more shimmery (95% similar). Laura Mercier Indiscretion (P, $44.00) is less shimmery, lighter (95% similar). Urban Decay Glint (LE) is lighter (90% similar). Colour Pop Might Be (P, $8.00) is darker (90% similar). Estee Lauder Modern Mercury (LE, $65.00) is darker, cooler (90% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

Hot Sand is a slightly muted, medium-dark coppery brown with warm, orange undertones and copper sparkle over a metallic finish. This shade was similar in texture to Amber Gold: very dense, cream-like, and smooth to the touch, but it was difficult to get good pigmentation and even coverage using most cheek brushes. I liked applying this with fingertips the best, actually, as it gave me better coverage and a smoother finish. The product didn’t diffuse well with a brush, as it had a tendency to stick strongly where it first landed and did not want to move from there. I was able to wear this shade for eight hours. MAC My Mimi (LE, $45.50) is lighter (95% similar). Anastasia Golden Bronze (LE) is lighter, warmer (90% similar). Looxi Beauty Divine (P, $7.50) is lighter (90% similar). Colour Pop Parasol (LE, $8.00) is lighter (90% similar). MAC Touch My Body (LE, $39.50) is less shimmery, less pigmented (90% similar). Viseart Highlight #3 (P) is less shimmery (90% similar). Anastasia Mimosa (LE) is less shimmery, lighter (90% similar). Becca Bronzed Amber (LE, $38.00) is less shimmery (90% similar). Becca Blushed Copper (LE, $38.00) is less shimmery, darker (85% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

It’s a new, limited edition highlighting powder described as a “luminous gold.” There is a strong, glittery overspray that sits on top of the powder, and while I did my best to brush it off, it took a few uses for it to really go away and reveal a more pearly finish. The initial glitter makes the finish more over-the-top with visible glitter particles that sit on the face without adding luminosity (they can look like dirt, if the light doesn’t hit them right!). To the touch, the powder had a drier consistency and didn’t feel finely-milled. I think it looked better on the skin than one would expect from the swatch, as the shimmer is softer and more luminous once blended and buffed into the skin. It had good pigmentation, and the color wore for just over eight hours before fading.